There is one responsibility that you shouldn't contract out. Not to us, not to anyone. Cultural Change
Cultural and behavioral change that accompanies
technical system changes is an internal process.
Since we advertise decades of experience bringing new systems into large organizations, how could this
be?
Answer: It's a separate initiative!
Even if you don't engage our services, please consider this perspective when budgeting for systemic improvements.
By necessity, we limit our focus to technical fixes.
- Technical fixes are the first of two things that need to happen for our customers to succeed with automation.
- It takes a specific type of focus to implement these systems. This is where we work.
Technical Fixes are NOT Sufficient
Many large companies are attempting to implement 'Devops' in the current IT zeitgeist. Naturally, "Oh, we need to change the culture!" is the common refrain.
True, culture needs to be changed, if technical fixes are to be migrated across an organization. This is a management leadership initiative, and not something that technical fixes alone can provide. Sequentially, this initiative would come after the technical fixes, and be budgeted for separately.
Our approach is as follows:
- Create technical fixes, train and or demonstrate their usage as appropriate
- Leave the cultural migration to management.
This is a two step process. We only offer one of the two steps as our services. The second step is a much more challenging task than the first!
About Roadblocks and Realism:
A book of fiction called 'The Phoenix Project' has created an excitement in the industry that roadblocks can be eliminated, and technical fixes can revolutionize how we do IT. A wonderful and joyous outcome!
This book has also done a great dis-service, by creating the impression that people who stand to gain from blocking progress will simply lay down, and allow new processes to fix decades old, turf based roadblocks. We remind our customers that this book is fiction! Strong leadership can be brought to bear, but turf is turf. People don't simply lay down their arms, sing 'Kumbaya', and adapt new, job threatening, habit changing technologies.
Takeaway: Automation is vastly easier if you don't conflate technical with cultural.
If you want to succeed in this new world of automated everything, start by giving yourself a sense of ease. Separate your technical fixes from your cultural migration. You'll be breathing better almost immediately.
Then, when you implement technical fixes, expect significant blowback on the cultural side! This is actually quite healthy! Embrace and lean into this resistance. The forces against change will always succeed, if not addressed head on by management leadership. Oddly enough, the forces against change probably don't even want to win, they just want a respectable fight! Make it a fun battle! Engage your culture, and enjoy the resistance. We'll help you on the technical side, but the cultural issues are yours to address internally.
As appropriate partners, we can contribute the technology piece, but budget for the whole package, if you expect an enduring, system-wide success.